Attenuation characteristics of audiometric earphones fitted on children

Abstract

The attenuation provided by TDH-49 earphones and ER-3A insert earphones was determined for 20 children (5–14 years old) using one-third octave bands of noise in a diffuse sound field (re: ANSI S12.6-1984). The TDH-49 earphones in P/N 51 cushions were fitted on each subject as normally done for audiometry. For the ER-3A, an appropriate size (small or normal) modified foam earplug was inserted into each subject's ear canal so that the outer edge was flush with the floor of the concha. The attenuation provided by the ER-3A was considerably greater than the TDH-49 at each frequency regardless of earplug size. Further, the attenuation provided by the ER-3A using the small (N = 10) or normal (N = 10) size modified foam earplug was similar. Comparisons with the attenuation provided by the TDH-49 and ER-3A using adult subjects and clinical implications relative to permissible ambient noise levels for audiometry will be discussed.